My psychiatrist cautioned me against spirituality when I last met her. She said that too much spirituality is not good if you want to lead an ordinary, conventional life and be respected by society. I can see her point of view now. I am reading Rumi and here are a couple of quotes that – […]
Tag Archives: Rumi
Syriana
Have you seen the movie Syriana. It stars George Clooney and Matt Damon. I watched it on TV and it is now available on Prime Video but you have to rent it for Rs 119/-. It is a thought provoking movie and gives a certain amount of sympathy to the Arab jihadis who are conducting […]
Be Happy that you are Miserable
Why on earth should you be happy that you are miserable? For two reasons – firstly it is because of suffering that you think of God and try to free yourself of the ego that is causing you to suffer. The second reason is that life is suffering in any case according to Buddhism so […]
Why is there Suffering in the World?
I read Rumi a few months ago. It was a worthwhile experience. There were many insights and overall the mood of what was written was that of ecstasy that comes with union with God. One of the insights that appealed to me was Rumi’s answer to the question – Why do people suffer? It is […]
Be Happy Now
What is meant by being pure? According to Rumi it is being filled with lust and greed and other wantings. Here is an extract from one of his poems: No one is grown up except those free of desire.God says: “the world is a play, a children’s game and you are the children.” God speaks […]
Rumi on Arrogance
I found this gem in Coleman Barks’ book on Rumi. A true man stares at his old shoesand sheepskin jacket. Every day he goes upto his attic to look at his work-shoes and worn-out coat.This is his wisdom, to remember the original clayAnd not get drunk on ego and arrogance. Sourced from Coleman Barks’ book […]
Rumi’s advice on attaining the Divine
I am reading Rumi. Specifically the book I am reading is The Essential Rumi by Coleman Barks. Link to browse the book at Amazon India is below: I have decided to write a few articles on what I have learned in my daily reading of the above book. Today is day 1, I have read […]
Why is Humility Desirable
I would like to give my opinion on the trait of Humility. This quality has been overvalued in India as far as my experience goes. As far as I have been able to make out the reasons why humility is valued here are as under: India is a feudal society and is a land of […]
The Best Spiritual Path
From all the available spiritual paths how do we choose the one that is best for us? I have no definite answer to that question. I can only give you some tips which might provide you with some food for thought. I have three points to make: I’ll start with a poem from Rumi. It […]
Our Essential Purpose in Life
I am reading a couple of books on Islam and its spiritual insights. One author who writes well and is insightful is Imam Jamal Rahman. He is entertaining and that is what I ask first from any book I read. He tells many stories that will give you food for thought. The following extract is […]